What is Google Assistant and what can it do?

(Pocket-lint) - Google's mentation of Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri is Google Assistant. It has made unthinkable advancement since its 2016 motorboat and is astir apt the astir precocious and dynamic of the assistants retired there.

Google has dispersed Assistant acold and wide, not lone connected its ain hardware, but done partnerships with different companies that sees Google Assistant successful a immense scope of devices, from fridges and headphones, to speakers and cars.

Here's however Google Assistant works and what you request to cognize astir Google's AI.

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What is Google Assistant?

Google Assistant is Google's dependable assistant. When it launched, Google Assistant was an hold of Google Now, designed to beryllium idiosyncratic portion expanding connected Google's existing "OK Google" dependable controls.

Originally, Google Now smartly pulled retired applicable accusation for you. It knew wherever you worked, your meetings and question plans, the sports teams you liked, and what funny you truthful that it could contiguous you with accusation that mattered to you.

Google has agelong killed Google Now, but Assistant lives successful the aforesaid space, fusing these personalised elements with a wide-range of dependable control. Google Assistant supports some substance oregon dependable introduction and it volition travel the speech whichever introduction method you're using.

What tin Google Assistant do?

Google Assistant offers dependable commands, dependable searching, and voice-activated instrumentality control, letting you implicit a fig of tasks aft you've said the "OK Google" oregon "Hey Google" aftermath words. It is designed to springiness you conversational interactions.

Google Assistant will:

• Control your devices and your astute home
• Access accusation from your calendars and different idiosyncratic information
• Find accusation online, from edifice bookings to directions, upwind and news
• Control your music
• Play contented connected your Chromecast oregon different compatible devices
• Run timers and reminders
• Make appointments and nonstop messages
• Open apps connected your phone
• Read your notifications to you
• Real-time spoken translations
• Play games

Continued Conversation means you don't person to accidental "Hey Google" for follow-up requests. Instead, erstwhile you've started talking to Google, it listens for a effect without needing a trigger operation each the time. Google tin besides recognise dependable profiles for antithetic people, truthful it knows who is talking to it and tin tailor the responses accordingly. You tin besides inquire for aggregate things astatine the aforesaid time.

As Google Assistant knows you and understands context, it volition respond successful an informed oregon astute way. That's important arsenic it gives dependable power a batch much powerfulness and moves it connected from lone reacting to circumstantial phrases oregon commands. It's designed to beryllium much than conscionable reactive.

Features see the quality to cheque successful to your formation (airline and destination dependant), arsenic good arsenic the quality to publication a country with immoderate partners and there's an Interpreter Mode on Google Nest devices and smart displays too. With it, you tin inquire Google Assistant to assistance you behaviour a speech successful dozens of languages. Just accidental "Hey Google, beryllium my Spanish interpreter" to commencement Interpreter Mode and get existent clip spoken and (on Smart Displays) written translation to assistance the conversation.

Google Assistant successful Nest devices forms the instauration of smart location control. It's compatible with a wide scope of devices, truthful you tin power heating, lights, and a tons much with your voice.

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Which devices connection Google Assistant?

Google Assistant primitively launched connected the Google Pixel smartphones and Google Home, but it is present disposable to conscionable astir each modern Android devices, including Wear OS devices, Android TV, and Nvidia Shield, arsenic good arsenic immoderate cars that support Android Auto and different devices too, similar Nest cameras and the Lenovo Smart Clock.

Google Assistant is autochthonal to Google Nest (formerly Google Home) astute speakers, but it's besides wide disposable connected other astute speakers from third-party manufacturers including Sony, Sonos, LG and Panasonic.

Smart location devices similar Philips Hue and Ikea's Home Smart range, for example, tin beryllium controlled by Google Assistant and not conscionable done Google Nest, but wherever you hap to interact with Assistant.

Google Assistant connected phones

Google Assistant is disposable connected Android phones, with each caller models offering the AI system. Even devices that connection different AI system, similar Samsung's Bixby, besides connection Google Assistant. Essentially, if your telephone has Android, your telephone has Google Assistant.

It's imaginable to person Assistant respond to you adjacent erstwhile your Android telephone is locked too, if you opt-in done your settings and you tin besides opt successful to spot answers to idiosyncratic queries too.

Google Assistant is besides available connected iPhones, though determination are immoderate restrictions.

Google Assistant successful apps

Google Assistant tin assistance you navigate successful Google Maps, connected some Android and iOS devices. With your voice, you tin stock your ETA with friends and family, reply to texts, play euphony and podcasts, hunt for places on your route, oregon adhd a caller stop, each successful Google Maps.

Google Assistant tin besides auto-punctuate your connection (on Android and iOS phones) and work backmost and reply to each your notifications (Android only).

Assistant works with galore fashionable messaging apps and SMS, including: WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, Telegram, Android Messages and more. When driving, Google Assistant tin auto-calculate your ETA from Google Maps and tin nonstop to friends too, if you person an Android device.

Google Nest devices

Google Nest speakers are the company's nonstop rival to the Amazon Echo. Nest Audio is simply a Chromecast-enabled talker that serves arsenic a voice-controlled assistant. It's the archetypal larboard of telephone for Google Assistant successful the location and it's an expanding ecosystem. There are presently 5 devices disposable successful the Nest talker portfolio including the Nest Audio, Google Home Max, Nest Mini, the 2nd generation Nest Hub, Nest Hub Max.

You tin inquire Google Nest devices to bash thing you'd inquire Assistant to bash connected Android phones, but moving into the location truly puts the accent connected different services and functions, similar astute location control, compatibility with Chromecast to nonstop movies to your TV, and a full batch more.

Read our Google Nest tips and tricks to get the astir retired of Google Assistant connected your Google Nest device.

• Google Audio vs Google Nest Mini vs Google Home Max
• Google Nest Hub 2 vs Nest Hub Max: Which should you buy?

Wear OS

Google Assistant is besides disposable connected wearables moving Wear OS. Using the aftermath words, you'll beryllium capable to inquire Assistant to execute a fig of tasks from your watch, specified arsenic turning the heating down, oregon replying to a message.

• Best Wear OS smartwatch: The Top Android watches

Google/Android TV

Android TV besides offers Google Assistant connected a fig of devices. Sony offers Android TV crossed its models, for example. There's different magnitude present though: Sony TVs not lone tally Android TV, but they are besides compatible with Google Nest and Amazon Alexa, meaning you tin power your TV by talking to your speaker, arsenic good arsenic power your lights by talking to your TV.

Set-top boxes similar Nvidia Shield TV besides enactment Google Assistant and the database of fashionable media and amusement devices supporting Assistant is perpetually expanding, with TVs from Samsung besides successful the mix, arsenic good arsenic DISH's Hopper household of receivers. With Google Assistant built-in, you tin usage your dependable to crook connected the TV, alteration measurement and channels, and power betwixt inputs.

Partners with Android TV devices and Google Assistant see Sony, Hisense, Philips, TCL, Skyworth, Xiaomi, Haier, Changhong, JVC and Toshiba.

More recently, Google has launched Google TV, which is the interface that runs implicit the apical of Android TV and is mostly replacing earthy Android TV - again, it supports Assistant to assistance searching for contented - arsenic good arsenic controlling playback from different Assistant-enabled devices.

Headphones and earbuds

There's enactment for Google Assistant successful galore wireless headphones, too, inlcuding the Bose QuietComfort 45 and Google's ain Pixel Buds, arsenic good arsenic models from brands similar Harman, JBL, Sony, and others.

With this benignant of integration, you tin entree the AI adjunct without opening your telephone - usually you conscionable property a fastener and commencement talking to Google Assistant.

• Best Google Assistant headphones: Smart sounds from Bose, Sony, and more

Google astute displays

The contention to beryllium everyplace successful your location is on, with Google having its ain instrumentality connected the Echo Show successful the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max.

Smart displays offering Google Assistant besides see companies similar JBL, Lenovo and LG. The Lenovo Smart Display is disposable successful 7-inch, 8-inch and 10.1-inch surface options.

The JBL Link View meanwhile, has a brace of 10W speakers and an 8-inch touchscreen.

• Google Assistant connected astute displays: What devices are there?

Cars

Google Assistant is disposable cars that support Android Auto, though Android Automotive has seen a Google-based UI successful immoderate caller cars, for illustration Polestar.

• Android Auto explored: Taking Google connected the road

Smart location devices and appliances

As we've mentioned, a batch of connected devices are compatible with Google Assistant, from lightbulbs to fridges and everything other between. Assistant works with implicit 1000 location automation brands and much than 10,000 devices.

There's a afloat database of Google Assistant partners here, but here's a rundown of immoderate of the important compatible devices:

• Canary
• Hive
• Honeywell
• Ikea
• iRobot
• LG appliances
• Logitech
• Nest
• Netatmo
• Osram
• Philips Hue
• Ring
• Samsung SmartThings
• Tado
• TP-Link
• WeMo
• Whirlpool

These devices tin beryllium controlled by Google Assistant, meaning you tin crook lights and switches connected and off. You tin alteration the heating oregon get an alert that your cleaning is done oregon a washing rhythm is finished.

Google Assistant is besides compatible with IFTTT, truthful customized recipes tin beryllium created. As we've said before, you besides don't request to beryllium talking to Google Home; you tin usage Assistant connected your telephone to interact - essentially, erstwhile you setup a instrumentality via the Google Home app connected your phone, that power volition beryllium disposable anyplace you tin interact with Google Assistant - successful the aforesaid mode that Amazon Alexa works.

What is Google Assistant Connect?

Google Assistant Connect is a platform that instrumentality manufacturers tin usage to bring the Google Assistant into devices much easy and cheaply. For consumers, that means you should spot antithetic types of astute devices coming soon.

For example, Google said a spouse could make an e-ink show that projects the upwind oregon your calendar, portion utilizing Assistant Connect to present contented from your linked astute speaker.

Google Assistant volition grip the alleged "higher-order computing" - knowing what's connected the calendar, checking for updates, etc.

How bash I cognize if my telephone has Google Assistant?

To cheque if your telephone has Google Assistant, accidental "OK Google" oregon press-and-hold the location fastener - oregon pat the microphone successful the Google hunt bar. That's the starting constituent for Assistant, aft which you tin benignant oregon talk and person Assistant respond. Usually, during the set-up of an Android, you'll beryllium prompted to configure Assistant.

Google Assistant vs Amazon Alexa

This is ever the large question: Which is amended - Assistant oregon Amazon Alexa?

Both these platforms spell head-to-head, offering akin devices arsenic good arsenic akin functions. The ambitions are mostly the same, to beryllium a cross-device idiosyncratic assistant. Google has an evident vantage erstwhile it comes to Android: it knows who you are, what you hunt for, your friends, browsing habits, the contented of your calendar and wherever you go, each acknowledgment to the benignant of information surviving successful Android.

Alexa, connected the different hand, knows what you bargain connected Amazon.

But that Android vantage extends further. It's baked into the OS of galore phones (not iPhone users), truthful you person Google Assistant with you each the time. Amazon Alexa has the smartphone app, but it's not arsenic integrated into phones.

Google Assistant feels astatine location connected a phone, with entree to much functions astir the telephone - similar launching apps. Google has hotword enactment connected phones, too, portion Alexa hotword enactment is constricted to devices similar Amazon's ain Fire tablets.

When it comes to support, Alexa feels similar it has much partnerships and hardware.

But, Google is smarter successful dealing with basal functions: Alexa needs to cognize which airy to crook connected and off, specifically, portion Google volition conscionable fto you crook everything connected oregon disconnected without needing a radical mounting up oregon devices to beryllium named.

Google is besides amended a routing retired information, often giving you amended hunt results. On a phone, naturally, uncovering code and navigation is simply a halfway skill. Alexa volition find addresses and study connected traffic, but that's not rather the aforesaid arsenic getting entree to existent navigation and maps.

Again, the smartphone vantage gives Google an borderline here.

But erstwhile it comes to location tasks, similar playing euphony oregon moving with those compatible devices, the acquisition is precise adjacent - and immoderate grade of idiosyncratic penchant volition travel into it. Amazon has the borderline with devices (there's greater assortment successful Echo and the strategy successful 1 measurement ahead, with Google presently playing catch-up), and talking to Alexa feels nicer than talking to Google. It's a much comfy expression.

• Apple HomePod vs Google Home vs Amazon Echo: What's the difference?

Writing by Maggie Tillman and Britta O'Boyle. Editing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 26 May 2016.